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, On the plus side, it has the advan- tage of using truck 4x4 mechanicals right out of the pickup bin making a ttyur-wheel-drive MPV relatively sim- ple to engineer. Thus, it was one of the first family vans to offer this tea- tgre, and Canadians responded.The lglPVcanbepurchasedwithjusttwo wheel-drive. But this week's test vehicle with V6. all-wheel-drive. Guise. electric roof, fbur-speed auto- diatic lockup transmission. and tripline trim inside and out including tttwing package was just $26,725. Burt's about the same price as a gamer Quest which only offers from- ttheel-drive. The MPV looks big because it sits high. The same sensa- tion greets the driver and frontseat passenger. The middle seat was a ttko-palace bench (or option three- 'tttX bench). with a three-seat bench Behind. Of course there are various mixes of captain's chairs and benches I The MPV came about as a clever ambination of existing parts from the compact pickup truck it builds, much in tum, results in the MPV sit- ting higher on its suspension than Quest/Villager. Mazda claims the MPV (for Multi-Purpose Vehicle) is Canada's best selling imported minivan, which is true. But all the big familyvan guns ale now being built here including the new Nissan Quest/Ford Villager. Honda is rumored to have a minivan in the works, and even Mercedes- Qenz is going to build one some- where in North America. [‘5 been several years since I've tested Mazda's trusty MPV, and a at of minivan water has passed under the design bridge in the ensuing period. Mazda 's M Minivan offers something for everyone Mazda's ME CLEARLY DISPLAYED ON EVERY NEW & USED CAR WINIBHIELD HB0rmMLINESPECIAIs" REE! [jIjiijijljgIlITi ?V: a real winner Maia-’5 Thebaseengineisa 121 hp, 140 Mb tmtsvessely-rnounted fbur-cylin- der of 2.64itres available only with a four-speed automatic with overdrive and lockup torque converter. The otherchoice. and by far the most pop- ular, is a 3.0-litre V6 with 155 hp and 169 ftllbs of mu: using a fbur-speed automatic but with electmnically con- trolled operation for good fuel The test vehicle Came with at AWD/4x4 system. In normal open- The MPV abounds with good ideas to make life a little easier. At the rear you can get a double cargo net. It sure is better than coming to a stop. having your groceries slam into the net. and then boomerang off the back seat'l‘here‘salockablebinunderthe front seat. I appreciated the new- design seat belt buckles which make affixing and removing child seats so much easier. The MPV does not have a sliding door in the middle. It uses a very large door instead. It's not a bad idea, but it can be a handicap in tight places. If that happens, the rear hatch provides a gaping, alternative open- ing. I should note removal of the seats is not a challenge but they are heavy, so those with bad backs should take care when trying to create extra cargo for most family groups " If you want to get serious. there is a towing package with special trans- mission cooler, in larger cooling fan (standard on the MPV 4WD) and an automatic load-levelling system for stable steering and braking. Anti-lock brakes are standard on the MPV. The MPV rides and handles like a big car. Acceleration is more than adequate and braking is certainly aided by 10-inch disc brakes tion, the MPV is in two-wheel drive. Flick a switch on the column-mount- ed shifter, and it snicks immediately into all-wheel drive. this moves power back and forth, to the wheels which have the most traction. If it gets really muddy, or the snow is deep, you have a switch on the dash- board which lets you lock the centre differential into four-wheel drive so each wheel gets equal amounts of torque. EXPIRES JULY 30193 Check all levels .4 All lights .4 Belts .4 Hoses w Coolant Replace ol, linen 4 cyl EXPIRES JULY 30193 BRAKES ALL CARS OIL & FILTER TUNE-UP SPECIAL 4 cyl EXPIRES JULY 30/93 REMEMBER iijiiIriijfii, SPECIALS IMPORT spttihi.i"th's WEST 'liiifri?, WESYEND I010” 819% 5529;; Wednesday, July 14, 1993 - Automotive - " 01.". BE}